Armor-piercing shot and shell

[Image:ArmorPiercingShell.png|thumb|right|250px|Armour piercing shell of the APBC 1 Light weight ballistic cap 2 Steel alloy piercing shell 3 Desensitized bursting charge (TNT, Trinitrophenol, RDX...) 4 Fuse (set with delay to explode inside the target) 5 Bourrelet (front) and driving band (rear)]] An armour piercing shell is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate armour. In naval warfare and older anti-tank shells, the shell had to withstand the shock of punching through armour plating. Shells designed for this purpose had a greatly strengthened case with a specially hardened and shaped nose, and a much smaller bursting charge. Some smaller calibre AP shells have an inert filling, or incendiary charge in place of the HE bursting charge. The AP shell is now very rarely seen except in naval usage, and is not commonly used there.
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